Time-controlled switch.



F. LEONARD.

TIME CONTROLLED SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.3,1913.

1,124A73. Patented Jan.12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHOU HIASHINGTON n. c

P. LEONARD.

TIME CONTROLLED SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED 1'.IUV.8,1913v 1,124,473. Patented Jan.12, 1915.

2 SHEETS SEEET 2.

YHE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PH TLrLITHO WASHIHGI'ON u UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIQEL FREDERICK LEONARD, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

TIME-CONTRDLLED SWITCH.

Application filed November 3, 1913.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnnnnnroir LEONARD, citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and tate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time- Controlled Switches, of which the follow ing is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in electrically operated draft regulating systems for furnaces, the primary obiect of my invention being the provision of a time controlled switch by means of which the opening of one or more draft doors of the furnace may be governed.

In draft controlling systems now in common use, the controlling of the opening and closing of the draft doors is accomplished wholly by changes in temperature in the building being heated, the draft door operating mechanism being included in an electric circuit which also includes a switch operated by a thermostat. Such systems are effective and useful but possess the disadvantage, when employed in private houses, that the fires must be kept going under forced draft all night if the windows of the house are to be opened for ventilation as any cooling of the house at once causes an opening of the draft doors.

The object of my invention is to so improve or modify systems of the ab ve described character that during the day the system may be operated wholly by the thermostatically controlled switch and during the night said switch may be rendered inoperative by the employment of a time controlled switch so arranged as to normally keep the circuit open until a predetermined hour. And a still further object of my invention is to provide a switch, the closing of which may be controlled by an alarm.

clock of conventional type, but slight changes in the construction of the alarm clock being necessary and those such as in no way interfere with the employment of the clock in the usual manner, if desired.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved time controlled switch looking at the same from the rear; Fig. 2

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Jan, 12, 1915.

Serial No. 798,976.

is a=rear elevation of the switch; Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the switch; F 1 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring of a draft regulating system employing my switch; F 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the emplovment of my time controlled switch as the sole circuit closing means in a draft controlling system.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The preferred embodiment of my time controlled switch, as best shown in Fig. 1, includes a supporting frame, indicated as a whole by the numeral 10 which is, in use, mounted upon a bracket or other suitable support carried by one of the walls of a building, this frame including a base 11 and a wall 12. Mounted upon the rear face of the wall 12, is a switch indicated as a whole by the numeral 13 including contacts 14 and 15 and a switch blade 16. Each of the contacts is bifurcated at one end to receive the switch blade 16, one end of the switch blade being pivotally mounted in the bifurcated end of one of the contacts.

A helical spring 17 is secured by one end to the intermediate portion of the switch blade and by its other end to a stud or pin 18 carried by the wall 12, the function of this spring being to normally hold the switch blade in engagement with the contact 15. The free end of the switch blade is provided with a rearwardly directed pin or handle 19 by means of which the switch may be manually opened. against the action of the spring 17. Extending downwardly from the bottom 11 of the frame is an ear 20 having a tapped bore 21 by means of which an alarm clock of conventional type may be suspended.

Any preferred form of alarm clocl: may be employed, one being conventionally shown at 22 having a time winding key 23, time setting key 24, alarm setting key 25 and alarm winding key 26. The clock is further provided with the usual supporting ring 27 and with an alarm cut-ofi device operated by a sliding plunger 28.

Rigidly secured to the upper portion of the supporting ring 27, is a perforated ear 29 and the clock is suspended from the frame 10 by means of a locking key 30 provided adjacent one end with a shoulder 31 and having that portion beyond the shoulmovement.

der threaded as at 32. The threaded portion of this key is passed through the perforation of the car 29 and threaded into the threaded bore 21 of the ear 20 to clamp the ear 29 between the shoulder 31 and ear 20 and so hold the clock against swinging Although this manner of supporting the clock holds the same against swinging, it will be apparent that if the clock stops and does not start readilyy'upon being wound, a slight loosening of the looking key will permit the owner to manually oscillate the clock from side to side to start the same without entirely detaching it from its support. As soon as the clock is again started, the locking key may be tightened to hold the clock against movement.

Secured about the alarm winding key 26, is a drum 33, the peripheral face of which is provided with a covering 34 of rubber or other insulating material. A trip rod 35 is provided which, when the switch blade 16 has been manually raised, may be interposed vertically between the upper periphery of the drum 34 and handle 19 of the switch blade to hold the switch blade in open position against the action of the spring 17. This trip rod is preferably secured against loss by a flexible fastening 36 connecting the rod with the frame 10.

It is well known that when an alarm is sounded by an alarm clock, the unwinding of the spring actuating the alarm mechanism causes a rotation of the winding key. In the present case, it would, therefore, cause a rotation of the drum 33 and it will be clear that any rotation of this drum will at once release the trip 35 and permit closing of the switch 13 by its spring 17.

My improved time controlled switch for draft regulating systems will be usually employed in connection with systems having a thermostatically controlled switch and for this reason I have illustrated a thermostatic switch mounted upon the frame 10. This switch includes a U-shaped bracket 37 mounted with its bight portion in'a vertical plane and having one side terminating in a vertically directed extension 38. A switch blade 39 is pivotally-mounted intermediate its length in the free end of the extension 38 and is connected at one end to the rod 40 of a thermostat 40 carried by the free end of the opposite arm of the bracket. This thermostat may of course be of any type, the one shown being of the double wafer type. The bight portion of the bracket carries a contact 41 which is insulated from the bracket and which in turn carries a binding post 42. The free end of the switch blade 39 is directed downwardly, inwardly toward the bight portion of the bracket and then upwardly as shown at 43 for engagement with the contact 41. The bight portion of the bracket further carries a binding post 44 which is not insulated from the bracket, the bracket therefore forming a conductor for the passage of current to the switch blade 39.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated diagrammatically the employment of the above described switches in a circuit for controlling the opening and closing of the draft door 45 of a furnace 46. In the system there shown, a cord or chain 47 is connected to the swingingly mounted draft door by one end and by its opposite end to the plunger 48 of a solenoid 49, the solenoid and plunger being so arranged that movement of the plunger through energization of the solenoid will result in an opening of the door 45.

A conductor wire 50 leads from the contact 15 to thebinding post 44, while a conductor wire 51 leads from the contact 14 to one pole of a battery 52. A. conductor wire 53 leads from the opposite pole of this battery to one terminal of the solenoid 49, while a conductor wire 54 leads from the opposite terminal of the solenoid to the binding post 42. a

As will be readily seen, assuming that, under normal conditions, the time controlled switch 13 is closed, the opening and closing of the draft door 45 will be wholly de pendent upon the thermostatic switch, any contraction of the wafers of the switch, be yond certain predetermined limits, closing the switch to energize the solenoid and open the draft door. On the other hand, assuming that the switch 13 is locked in open position, it will be clear that the circuit through the battery and solenoid cannot be closed by the thermostatic switch and will be closed only by a closing of the switch 13 through release of the trip 35.

In using the above system, the clock and its alarm are properly wound and the alarm set for the time at which the opening of the draft door is desired. The switch 13 is then locked in open position by means of the trip 35. Under these conditions, the draft door 45 will remain closed until the trip is released by the sounding of the alarm at the desired hour, after which the control of the draft door will be wholly dependent upon changes in temperature as the thermostatic switch will then become operative.

Under certain circumstances, it may be desirable to merely employ the time controlled switch without the thermostatic switch, the system being then used merely as a system for opening the draft at a certain predetermined time. Such a system is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 5 in which a wire 55 leads from the contact 14 of the switch 13 to one pole of the battery 56, a wire 57 leads from the opposite pole of the battery to one terminal of the solenoid 49, and a wire 58 leads from the opposite terminal of the solenoid to the contact 15 of the switch. The operation of this switch, when so arranged, is identical with the operation of the time switch itself, as previously described.

It will of course be understood that I do not wish in any way to limit myself to the specific construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, as various changes may be made at any time without in the slightest degree departing from the spirit of this invention.

For instance, the helical spring 17 may be replaced by a leaf spring bearing against the upper edge of the switch blade or the switch blade may be drawn to operative position, upon release, by a weight attached to its free end, thus avoiding the use of any spring whatsoever.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new is:

l. A time controlled switch including a bracket, a switch carried by the bracket and including a swingingly mounted switch blade normally held in lowered position, an

alarm clock suspended below the bracket and provided with an alarm winding key, a drum secured upon said key, a covering of insulating material upon the drum, and a trip rod adapted to be inserted between the drum and switch blade to hold the switch blade in raised position.

2. A time controlled switch including a swingingly mounted switch blade, a contact, a spring normally tending to draw the switch blade into engagement with the contact, an alarm clock provided with an alarm winding key supported in spaced relation to the switch blade, and a trip rod free of connection to the clock or blade adapted to be positioned between the winding key and blade, engaging such parts by its ends to support the blade against the action of the spring.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK LEONARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

